Apparatus for utilizing surf-power



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J. RIN-GEN.

APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING SURF POWER. No. 418,590. `Patented Dec. 31,1889.

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J. RINGEN. APPARATUS'POR UTILIZING SURF POWER.

No. 418.590. Patented Deo. 31, 1889.

@riff -viceor apparatus.

suitable inclined plane or y shown in Figs. I and II.

' UNITED Shiitesy PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RINGEN, OF CORONADO, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING SURF-POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 418,590, dated December31, 1889.

Application filed July 27, 1889. Serial No. 318,889. (No model.) r l Toall whom/it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOHN RINGEN, of Coronada, in the county of San Diegoand State of California, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus for Utilizing Surf-Power, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and inWhich Figure I is a top view of my improved de- Fig. II is a sideelevation. Fig. III is an enlarged view showing one end of the drum, theshaft being shown in ,seotion on line III III, Fig. I. Fig. IV is asimilar view showing the other end of the drum, the section throughthe'shaft being taken on line IV IV, Fig. I. l

My invention relatesV to an improved device for utilizing the power ofan ocean surf; and my invention consists in features of novhereinafterfully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents `a supporting-frame, and uponwhich travels a truck 2. The truck is provided with wheels or rollers 3,that bear upon the inclined plane, and is also provided withfriction-rollers 1l, which lit between the rails or tracks of theinclined plane, as clearly The truck is thus held by these rollers fromlateral movement on the inclined plane while it is allowed to movelengthwise of the plane upon its rollers 3.

5 represents a cylinder hinged t0 the truck 2 by means of a suitableframe 6. The object of hinging the cylinder to the frame is to permit itto rise and fall under theaction of the water without lifting the truckfrom the inclined plane. 7 represents cables secured to the truck 8, andwhich pass in an outward direction around pulleys 9, secured to a frame10, and from thence the cables pass in an inward direction to a shaft orwindlass 1l, supported on a frame 12 at the upper or inner end of theinclined plane 1, or the frame 12 may be placed wherever. it is mostconvenient. The cables pass around the windlass or shaft 11, and it willbe understood that as' the surf strikes the cylinder 5and forces thetruck 2 shoreward the cables 7 will be moved in the direction of thearrows, Figs. I and II. Then as the cylinder and truck move away fromthe shore the cables move in the opposite direction.

At one end of the shaft or windlass 1l is a drum 13. y Around this drumpasses a cable 14., which extends in an upward direction over a pulley14a, supported in the upper end of a derrick 15. From the pulley 14 thelcableextends in a downward direction and has secured to its lower end aWeight 16. Rigidly secured to the shaft or windlass 11 is an arm or arms17, (see Fig. IV,) and pivoted to these arms are dogs or paWls 18, heldinto engagement with aratchet-wheel 19 on the inner end or face of thedrum. The drum is loosely mounted ,on the shaft or windlass. To theouter face or end ofthe drum 13 is secured a ratchet-wheel o r disk 20.(See Fig. III.) This disk is; engaged by a pawl 2l, secured to aratchet-wheel 22, which is also secured to the outer face of the drum,or

which may be loosely mounted on the shaft 'or windlass 11, which extendsthrough the center of the drum. The pawl21 is held into engagement withthe disk 2O by means of a spring 23, secured to the ratchet-Wheel 22.

24. represents a pawl or dog secured to the frame`12, and which engagesthe teeth of the ratchet-wheel 22.

25 represents a gear-Wheel loosely mounted on the shaft or windlass 11,and which is connected by means of a heavy spring 26 to theratchet-wheel 22. The gear-wheel 25 would mesh into one of a train ofgearing-wheels for transmitting the power to any mechanism which it isdesired to operate.

The operation is as follows: As the surf strikes the cylinder 5 andforces the truck 2 inwardly the cables 7 wind the windlass 11 in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. I. This motion is transmittedto the drum l3`through means of the arm 17 and pawls 18 andratchet-wheel 19, the latter being on the drum, the pa'wls being heldinto engagement with the ratchet-wheel by means of springs 3l. Thisaction turns the drum 13, winding thereon the cable 14 and lifting theWeight 16.

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As the surf leaves the cylinder, the cylinder l downwardly again on theinand truck move clined plane and the windlass 11 turns in the reversedirection to that represented by the arrow. The next surf moves thecylinder and truck inward and the operation just described is repeated.'lhe gravity ofthe weight 16 causes the drum 13 to unwind as soon as itis relieved of the pressure of the truck or as soon as the truck startsto move seaward again, and in turning its power is transmitted to thegear-wheel 25 (and from the latter to the mechanism to be operated, asstated) through means of the disk 20, ratchet-wheel 22, andconnecting-spring 26. rlhe turning of the drum under the influence ofthe weight moves the disk 20 and ratchet-wheel 22 in the directionindicated by the arrow in Fig. III, and through means of aconnecting-spring 2G the gear-wheel is of course turned in the samedirection. By employing the spring 2G instead of using a rigidconnection between the ratchet-wheel 22 and gear-wheel 25, I am able toprovide a substantially continuous motion to the gear-wheel, whether theweight 16 is rising or falling, for this reason: Vhile the weight isturning the parts by its gravitation the spring 2G will be compressed atits ends. Then, as the weight is being wound up, as described, theratchet-wheel 22 will be prevented from retrograde movement by the pawl24, and the pressure of the spring 26 will be utilized or will exert itstension on the cog wheel 25 and cause it to revolve while theratchet-wheel 22 is standing still and while the drum itself is actuallyturning in the opposite direction to that of the gearwheel. By thisarrangement I am enabled to obtain a continuous operation of themachinery.

To prevent slack in the cables 7, I employ a weight 32, which isconnected by means of a cable to the windlass or shaft 11, as shown at34, Fig. I. The cable passes over a pulley 35 on the upper end of thederrick 15.

Should it be desired to pull the truck and` cylinder shoreward, so thatthey will not be op-` erated by the surf,it can be doneby means of acable (not shown) and a windlass 36. By, able to an arrangement of thiskind I am utilize the enormous power or force of the surf, and thispower may be transmitted and utilized to operate any desired machineryor mechanism or any desired system of machinery or mechanism.

Ihen I refer in the claims to transmitting mechanism, I wish itunderstood that I mean the windlass or shaft 11, the drum 13, and theweight 1G, with their connecting parts, or the parts operating inconjunction with them, to transmit the power, as described, or anysubstantial equivalent of these parts.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an apparatus for utilizing surf-power,the combination of an inclined plane or supporting-frame, a truckmounted on the inclined plane or supporting-frame, the frame 6, hingedto said truck, a cylinder secured to the said frame a transmittingmechanism, and cables connecting the transmittingmechanism to the truck,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus for utilizing surf-power, the combination of aninclined plane or supporting-frame, a truck provided with wheels andfriction-rollers, the frame 6, hinged to the lower end of the truck, acylinder secured to the frame G, a transmitting mechanism, and cablesconnecting the transmitting mechanism to the truck, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

In an apparatus for utilizing surf-power, the combination of theinclined plane or frame, a truck traveling on the inclined plane orframe, a cylinder hinged to the truck, a transmitting mechanism, andcables connecting the transmitting mechanism to the truck, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an apparatus for utilizing surf-power, the combination of aninclined plane or supporting-frame, a truck, a cylinder hinged to thelower or inner end of the truck,transmitting mechanism, cables forming aconnection between the transmitting mechanism and the truck, a frame,and pulleys secured to the trame around which said cables pass,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an apparatus for utilizing surf-power, the combination of aninclined plane or supporting-frame, a truck traveling on the inclinedplane or supporting-frame, a cylinder secured to the truck, transmittingmechanism, and cables connecting the transmitting mechanism to thetruck, said transmitting mechanism consisting,essentially, of a windlassor shaft to which said c. bles are secured, a drum, arms secured to theshaft or windlass and provided with pawls or dogs, a ratchet-wheelsecured to the drum and engaged by said pawls or dogs, a weight, a eableconnecting the weight to the drum, a ratchet-disk secured to the drum, aratchetwheel on the drum or shaft, a pawl forming a connection betweenthe ratchet-wheel and ratchet disk, a iixed pawl engaging the ratchetwheel, a gear-wheel, and a spring connecting the gearwheel to theratchetwheel, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

(i. In an apparatus for utilizing surf-power, the combination of aninclined plane or supporting-frame, a truck traveling on the inclinedplane or supporting-frame, a cylinder secured to the truck, transmittingmechanism, and cables connecting the transmitting mechanism to thetruck, said transmitting mechanism consisting, essentially, of a weight,a drum, a windlass, connection between the drum and windlass, agearwheel,and a springconnection between the gear-wheel and drinn, allsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In an apparatus for utilizing surf-power,

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418,590y i s the combination of an inclined plane or supporting-frame, atruck traveling on the inclined plane or supporting-frame, a cylindersecured to the truck', a transmitting mechanism, cables connecting thetransmitting meehanism to the truck, and a Weight 32, connected to thetransmitting mechanism by means of n cable Y33, substantiallyTv as andfor the purpose set forth.

JOHN RINGEN.

In presence 0f- E. S. BABCOCK, Jr., H. W. MALLETT.

